Guwahati: Several people were detained during a protest against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh outside Arunachal Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday, with some protesters remaining in police custody late that night, according to Himkhand.
A Himkhand member said some of those detained had been released after being taken to Chanakyapuri police station, while others were still being held at Baba Haridas Nagar police station near the Delhi-Haryana border.
The organisation said women protesters were also taken into custody after 9 pm. It alleged that all protesters were asked to sign a form under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Lawyers representing the detainees were present outside the police station, but the remaining protesters had not been released at the time of the statement.
Himkhand accused Delhi Police of using excessive force during the detentions and alleged that some protesters were physically and sexually assaulted.
In a video statement recorded inside a police bus, a Himkhand member alleged that several demonstrators had been beaten and subjected to inappropriate physical contact.
The member also claimed that protesters’ shirts had been lifted and that the speaker had been pinched on different parts of the body, including private areas, before being pushed into a bus.
The member further alleged that police personnel had not informed the detainees which police stations they were being taken to. According to Himkhand, the protesters were subsequently transported to different locations on the outskirts of Delhi, away from the city centre.
Protesters also alleged that Siang hydropower activist Katon Moyong, popularly known as Aborman, was badly manhandled by Delhi Police during the detention. They said a large number of police personnel had been deployed at the protest site and that the demonstration was allowed to continue for only around 15 minutes before the detentions began.
The protest was organised by students and activists under the banners of Himkhand and Youth for Change in solidarity with indigenous communities opposing the proposed hydropower project in the Siang region.
Participants demanded the withdrawal of the SUMP, removal of CAPF personnel from Arunachal Pradesh, release of all arrested and detained activists, and withdrawal of cases against protesters and community leaders.
Delhi Police was contacted for its response to the detentions and allegations of assault, but did not respond.